UNC probe results in NCAA sanctions for 2 people

INDIANAPOLIS -- Only two people at North Carolina ultimately received NCAA sanctions in the multi-year academic case.

Former department chairman Julius Nyang'oro and retired office administrator Deborah Crowder were charged with refusing to cooperate with the NCAA probe.

Nyang'oro refused to interview with NCAA investigators after the case was reopened in 2014. Crowder reconsidered and interviewed with investigators in May.

Nyang'oro received a five-year show-cause penalty lasting until Oct. 12, 2022. Crowder was not punished, but the NCAA says it is making note of her initial lack of cooperation.

The school avoided major penalties Friday when the NCAA said it "could not conclude'' academic violations took place. The investigation's focus was on independent study-style courses in the formerly named African and Afro-American Studies department chaired by Nyang'oro.

The announcement came roughly eight weeks after UNC appeared before the panel for a two-day hearing in Nashville, Tennessee.